VALPOI: Locals from Sattari and Bicholim Taluka are facing hardships due to the non availability of the Deputy Collector, Bicholim for the past several months.
The deputy collector is not available to the people whenever they visit in the Deputy Collector’s office in Bicholim.
Besides this the deputy collector is reportedly not handling the regularisation of unathorised structure cases correctly. He is allegedly harassing the locals while saying that they have built the structures on Alvara land, despite they possessing the proper land documents. The collector’s office staff also refrain from disclosing the whereabouts of the collector and reportedly are very rude to the locals, people alleged.
Now both Sattari and Bicholim locals have demanded the Government to take action on the Deputy Collector Bicholim.
A group of agitated villagers from Sattari, under the banner of Sattari Jagruk Manch led by Ranjitsing Rane, said that the Deputy collector, Bicholim ‘is a promoted officer.’
“He does not have any knowledge of land and land issues, especially from Sattari Taluka areas. The deputy collector Bicholim is harassing the locals without having the knowledge of land issues. We demand that the Government take action on him,” says Ranjitsing.
“I have my property partition case with the Deputy Collector, Bicholim since March. They are giving me the date of hearing but every date has been postponed in advance due to the non availability of the Deputy Collector. This is disgusting; the Deputy Collector is a public servant. If he is not available for public then what is the use of a deputy collector’s office,” questions a Bicholim local.
“I have built a small structure in my own property ten years ago. I have submitted a file to the Deputy collector, Bicholim to regularise that structure, long back, under Section 3 of Goa Regularisation of Unathorised Construction Act 2016. Also I have paid the processing fee of ten thousand rupees. The Deputy collector had called me and told me that my land is Alvara land. So he cannot regularise that structure. I told him that it’s not an Alvara land. If my land is Alvara then there is nothing mentioned on 1/14 form that it’s an Alvara land. But the Deputy collector is not ready to listen to me. Later on, I checked in the land records department, Panjim whether it is Alvara land or not. The land records department officials are saying that it’s not an Alvara land. It’s my own land. I met the Deputy collector again and told him that it’s not an Alvara land. But he is not ready to listen to me. So we demand that government take action on the deputy collector, Bicholim, says Sandesh Gaonkar, a local from Sattari Taluka.
“I have submitted the regularisation structure file to the Deputy collector, Bicholim long back. The people who have submitted the regularisation structure files after me have got the regularisation order. I have visited the deputy collector office, Bicholim but the staff say that I have to meet the deputy collector. I even inquired if there was something wrong with my file, but they showed ignorance,” says Deepraj Parsekar, a local from Bicholim.
“People who have constructed illegal structures on Alvara land and on settlement land have got their structures regularised. But those who have built structures on our own land cannot get theirs regularised by the deputy collector who has no idea about the Alvara land,” said Kalpesh Gawas, a local.
